Arcane Academy: The Divine Extraction Legacy

Chapter 1318: Lisa’s Connection

Rene could only stare.

He had created Deric himself. He had watched the transformation succeed and felt the connection form between them. Only a short time had passed since they had celebrated the birth of a new Vampire, and now that same companion was dying before his eyes.

But Rene could not save him.

He barely had enough time to protect himself.

With a furious roar, Rene rushed at Batsaikhan, abandoning every thought of escape. He threw a series of desperate attacks, striking with all the strength he could muster. His fists tore through the air, smashing a wooden crate and cracking the stone wall when Batsaikhan evaded them.

Yet the scout continued to avoid the attacks with swift movements, waiting for Rene to expose himself.

Rene’s anger made him faster, but it also made him careless.

“You will die today!”

He pounced too far forward after another missed strike, leaving his side exposed. Batsaikhan immediately stepped into the opening and drove the flaming blade beneath Rene’s ribs.

Rene’s body stiffened.

The weapon pierced deep enough to reach the center of his torso, and the runes flared as the Fire Element flooded the wound.

“H-how…”

He tried to pull away, but Batsaikhan seized his shoulder and held him in place long enough to twist the blade.

Rene screamed.

“Aah!”

His Blood Energy surged in a desperate attempt to repair the damage, but the fire spread through it like a poison. His regenerative abilities faltered, and the wound continued to burn despite his efforts to force the flames out of his body.

He struck Batsaikhan across the face with the back of his hand, finally breaking free. The blow sent the scout stumbling several steps away, but Rene could barely remain standing himself.

Blood ran from the corner of his mouth. His body trembled as he pressed a hand against the wound, and the energy that had once filled him with confidence was rapidly slipping away.

He had underestimated his opponent.

Worse, he had underestimated the preparations humans could make against Vampires.

“Wait…” Rene gasped. “We can talk about this. I can offer you power. You don’t have to kill me.”

Batsaikhan watched him without sympathy.

“How many people have you approached with that offer?”

Rene’s expression changed.

The scout glanced toward Deric, who had collapsed beside the broken wall. The newly transformed Vampire was no longer moving, and the fire surrounding his wounds had begun to consume what remained of his body.

“You’re not the first criminal I’ve encountered,” Batsaikhan continued. “And you won’t be the last.”

Rene’s eyes widened.

He had spent so much time thinking about the advantages of becoming a Vampire that he had never considered how much effort others might devote to hunting them. Lisa’s power had made him feel protected, but the connection between them had not given him the knowledge or experience needed to survive this battle.

He had entered the courtyard expecting to gain another subordinate.

Instead, he had led himself and his newly created Vampire into a trap from which neither would escape.

Rene turned and tried to run.

He made it only a few steps before his legs weakened beneath him. The wound in his torso continued to burn, and his Blood Energy had become too unstable to sustain his enhanced physical abilities. He stumbled against the wall, leaving a dark smear across the stone.

Batsaikhan followed at a measured pace.

Rene forced himself upright and turned around, baring his fangs in one final attempt to frighten his pursuer.

“Do you know who I serve?” he demanded. “If you kill me, you will regret it!”

“That’s possible… We made too much noise. I’ll probably die after this…” Batsaikhan replied. “But if I let you go, you may kill someone else.”

He raised his blade.

Rene attempted to dodge, but his movements had become sluggish. The scout’s weapon swept across his neck, its Fire Element igniting the moment it made contact.

Rene fell to his knees.

For several seconds, his body continued to struggle against the fatal wound. His fingers clawed at the ground, and his mouth opened as though he wanted to speak, but no words emerged. The flames spread through his body, devouring the Blood Energy that would otherwise have sustained his existence.

His crimson eyes gradually lost their light.

Then Rene collapsed beside the wall.

Batsaikhan remained still until he was certain the Vampire could no longer move. Only then did he lower his weapon and examine the two bodies.

He had expected to encounter something suspicious in Atrium City. The city’s silence toward the outside world, the mysterious Black Tower, and the strange lack of concern among its inhabitants had already convinced him that something was deeply wrong.

However, discovering two Vampires operating openly within the city was more troubling than he had anticipated.

‘So the situation is worse than I thought.’

He cleaned his blade and returned it to its sheath before examining Rene’s belongings. There were no obvious documents identifying the Vampire’s master, but Batsaikhan found enough evidence to confirm that Rene had not been acting alone. The man’s equipment, the unnatural changes to his body, and the presence of another newly transformed Vampire suggested an organized effort to expand their numbers.

Soon, the corpses even turned to ashes!

“Tsk… So that’s what happens if they die.”

He could not afford to remain in the courtyard for long.

Batsaikhan retrieved the small fire artifact and checked its runes. The device had consumed some of its stored energy, but it remained functional. He would need to have it inspected and replenished before using it again.

After ensuring that they both turned to ashes, he left the courtyard through a narrow passage that led to another street. He adjusted his clothing, concealed the weapon beneath his coat, and resumed the appearance of an ordinary merchant returning to his lodgings.

No one stopped him.

Thankfully, he was just overthinking…

No alarm was raised, and no guards came running to investigate the disturbance behind the abandoned warehouses. To anyone who happened to see him passing through the street, Batsaikhan was simply another traveler going about his business.

Yet he knew that the encounter had revealed something important.

Whatever force was responsible for the strange situation in Atrium City, it had Vampires among its ranks. If the city had truly fallen under their influence, the Order of the Sky Sword needed to know immediately.

Batsaikhan continued walking, already considering how he would deliver his report without exposing himself.

Far away from the abandoned courtyard, however, the consequences of the battle had already begun to unfold.

***

Inside the Dark Arts Tower, Lisa Grayback stood beside a tall window overlooking Atrium City. The lights of the city stretched beneath her, while the distant streets remained as peaceful as they had been throughout the day. From this height, there was little indication that anything unusual had occurred.

She had been reviewing reports gathered by her network when a familiar connection suddenly trembled.

Lisa paused.

The Blood Essence she had bestowed upon Rene was tied to her own power. Although she did not constantly monitor every action of her Vampire Knights, she could sense their existence through the Blood Energy connecting them to her. As long as they remained alive, their essences would continue to exist within that network, allowing her to recognize their presence even when they were far away.

Now, one of those connections had abruptly weakened.

“Hmm? Someone killed my pawns?”